A ruthless individual.
In the mouth of the Mad Emperor, the Immortal Lord was an absolute world-slaughtering figure.
The betrayal of the Mad Emperor and his ilk drove the Immortal Lord into a frenzy. Ignoring the enemies outside, he first slaughtered the traitors.
"Alas."
The Mad Emperor sighed, "Speaking of which, it was we who betrayed the Nine Heavens Realm."
"What happened next?"
"I don't know what happened after that."
The Mad Emperor shook his head. "I awoke within the gauntlet much later, and within my Imperial Palace. Although I could sense that the Immortal Realm still existed, I have no idea what transpired after my death."
"..."
Chen Fan fell into contemplation.
After the Immortal Lord slaughtered the world, he would surely fight the Thunder Realm again.
But if the Immortal Realm still existed now, did the Immortal Lord win?
No...
If the Immortal Lord possessed the ability to defeat the Thunder Realm, why would this great battle have lasted for a thousand years?
It seemed something must have happened.
After the deaths of the Mad Emperor and his companions, something must have occurred to alter the outcome.
And this critical juncture... could it be...
"Mad Emperor."
Chen Fan's expression turned solemn. "I have another question. Did the Immortal Lord possess a divine artifact?"
"I've never heard of it."
The Mad Emperor denied his guess. "The Immortal Lord never used any weapons."
"Did I guess wrong?"
This answer plunged Chen Fan back into thought.
Then what exactly happened?
He asked again, "You sensed the divine artifact's aura in my hand just now. Have you ever sensed an aura of the same origin as the divine artifact in my hand?"
An Emperor, even with a simple touch, could ascertain certain things.
"I don't know."
The Mad Emperor shook his head again. "My memory is incomplete. Although I awoke in the gauntlet, I lost a great deal of my memory."
"Is that so?"
The problem resurfaced.
Huo Xing and Da Kui's messages all pointed towards the Mad Realm, suggesting that there must be news of divine artifacts there.
But the Mad Emperor knew nothing.
Could it be because he was suppressed by the Burial Heaven for too long?
More and more questions filled his mind.
Yet, the Mad Emperor could offer no answers.
He had truly been suppressed for too long, from the moment he awoke until today when he was liberated by the three Burial Heavens.
"Let's go."
There were no answers here; they could only search in the Central Region.
He had a premonition that all the answers could be found in the Central Region.
"Mm."
The Mad Emperor nodded.
This time, Chen Fan did not use teleportation.
Instead, he and the gauntlet housing the Mad Emperor slowly made their way towards the Central Region.
The Mad Emperor had lost his former arrogance.
Having admitted his past, he had become much more agreeable.
They conversed along the way, discussing past events.
Of course, it was mainly Chen Fan asking questions and the Mad Emperor answering.
Finally...
"City Lord."
Ahead, a familiar voice sounded.
Chu Laomo's figure descended rapidly, coming to greet them.
He glanced at the City Lord, then at the gauntlet. Though curious about the outcome of their battle, he dared not ask.
He spoke, "City Lord, we are at the edge of the Central Region."
"Mm."
He could feel it.
Ahead, the life force was abundant; it was undoubtedly the Central Region.
Before, whether it was the Tian Dang Mountain or the Burial Mountain, apart from the peaks, the ground was mostly deserted.
But ahead was different. It was like a normal world, with cultivators visible everywhere, moving about.
There were even powerful individuals engaged in fierce battles.
From time to time, people would look outwards, gazing from tens of thousands of meters away at a group of people from the outskirts.
Yes, in the eyes of the Central Region, the Burial Mountain, Tian Dang Mountain, or any other faction were considered people from the outskirts.
The Central Region was supreme.
The vast territory of the Central Region seemed to have no end, with only rolling great forces swirling in the sky above.
The power of the strong.
In other places, ordinary strong individuals would not easily release their aura.
But it was different in the Central Region. The area covered by their dominance was their territory.
In the four cardinal directions of east, south, west, and north, powerful forces loomed.
In the East, a broken saber.
Indeed, the saber was broken, its phantom image shrouding the heavens and earth, carrying boundless killing intent.
In the South, a sleeping tiger.
In the West, a giant striding across the land.
In the North, a vast and wide river.
These forces were not true images and could not be seen with the naked eye, but if one closed their eyes, the four great forces would rush towards them.
These four great forces were currently in a state of peace, neither encroaching on the other.
And the cultivators of the Mad Realm lived under the shroud of these four forces.
Chen Fan and his companions came from the North. Upon entering the Central Region, they would be under the dominion of the great river.
"Hmph."
The voice from the gauntlet reached Chen Fan's ears.
Only he could hear it, tinged with dissatisfaction. "A few mere insects dare to be so rampant."
The land of the Mad Realm was the Mad Emperor's territory.
Although the Mad Emperor appeared to be dead, this feeling of being carved up was not at all pleasant.
"Heh."
Chen Fan grinned and began to provoke. "Do you want to kill them? I can help you hold back one..."
The Mad Emperor: "..."
Hold back one? What nonsense was that?
If the Mad Emperor could emerge from the gauntlet at this moment, he would have rolled his eyes countless times.
The four powerhouses of the Central Region were different from Burial Heaven.
Burial Heaven was at most a semi-Emperor of S-class, while these four in the Central Region were true SSS-class. How could they be compared?
The former Mad Emperor could have easily crushed these four.
But he was no longer the former Mad Emperor.
He had long since perished, his origin dao scattered.
Now, he could only exist precariously through his former weapon.
"Tch."
Chen Fan pouted and continued to taunt. "If I were you, I would have killed them long ago."
"Hmph."
The gauntlet fell silent.
His taunts were useless. The aura quickly withdrew and then floated silently in mid-air.
After a while, even its form concealed itself.
...
Seeing this, Chen Fan could no longer provoke the other party.
"Let's go, let's enter," he said.
"Just like that?"
Chu Laomo stood beside him, looking at the great mountain the others were carrying behind them.
"What else?"
Chen Fan smiled.
Chu Laomo blinked, then also smiled.
Indeed, when they were still weak in the lower realm, they had dared to directly assault the sacred mountain of Dami Lia and slay the Angel Holy Emperor.
Compared to back then, the situation was not much different.
They were both semi-Emperors; what was there to fear?
"Go."
Chu Laomo let out a wild laugh, then glanced at Xi Qiu behind him.
Xi Qiu nodded and shouted loudly, "Brothers, we're about to enter the Central Region, don't fall behind!"
His voice was clear and resonant, spreading far and wide.
"Yes."
The response was a unified roar.
"Stomp."
Chen Fan took a step, the first to enter the Central Region.
His steps were light, yet it was the beginning of conquest.
"Rumble."
The great river's dominion above began to churn.
The lord of the North seemed to have sensed a threat.
A powerful being had entered the Central Region from the North.
At this moment, in the four directions of the Central Region, countless people opened their eyes, their gazes all fixed upon the North.